1 Corinthians 14:15 (NKJV) What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
One of the greatest secrets of worship is how it differs from praise. When we praise the Lord, we will ourselves to praise Him by offering our lips of praise, but we don’t will ourselves to worship. Instead, the spirit of worship must come into a meeting place and upon us and worship will come spontaneously. It will help when we sing songs that are simple and easy to sing, because complicated lyrics will distract us from worshipping. We should just use a simple chorus and adore Him in simplicity so that one can be lost in worship.
As you sing during the phase of worship, sing simpler songs, and the spirit of worship will come naturally. You won’t need anybody to tell you to “worship God” because your hearts, souls and minds will be adoring Him and soaking in His presence. In worship, you are focusing on the person of God, who He is and not what He does.
John 7:38-39 (NKJV) He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
There is a river within us. Jesus said out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water. We need to let the river flow out of us through songs of worship and adoration in the Spirit. The living water has to be a flowing river because there is no life in stagnant water, and we need to let it flow by yielding to the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of vibrant praise is to distract us from our worldly concerns and focus on the power of God, but we worship with our hearts and sing in the spirits out of the overflow. The worship segment of the service is the time when our spirits reach out to the Spirit of God—it is worshipping God from the depths of our hearts. It is intimate and deep and it involves our entire beings. Worship comes from the inner depths of our hearts where the spirit man is located. God longs for us to worship Him in spirit. The deep calling out to the deep.
We need to make room for the glory, and we must not hurry. Sometimes, it is simply singing a chorus for one or two more times, and we won’t be shouting or rejoicing in the glory realm. The musicians, worship leaders and the ministers should learn to flow and pace themselves in the realm of the glory. Soaking in the presence of God when the glory falls is a time between you and God only.
Sermon Series: ICS Worship Culture (Part 2)
敬拜对比赞美
哥林多前书14:15 这却怎么样呢？我要用灵祷告，也要用悟性祷告；我要用灵歌唱，也要用悟性歌唱。
敬拜最大的奥妙之一是它与赞美的不同之处。当我们赞美神，我们将自己通过献上赞美的嘴唇来赞美祂。但我们自己不会敬拜。敬拜的灵必须来到会面之地临到我们，然后才自然而然地生发出敬拜。那些简单而又琅琅上口的诗歌将会大有帮助，因为复杂的歌词会使我们不能集中精神敬拜。只消以简单的副歌质朴地敬拜祂，直到我们在敬拜中浑然忘我。
当你在敬拜的时段唱诗，唱较为简单的诗歌，敬拜之灵自然地降临。妳不需要任何人告诉你“去敬拜神”因为你的心，魂和意识都将在那里爱慕祂，沉浸在祂的同在里。敬拜时，你定睛于神，专注于祂是谁，而不是祂的作为。
约翰福音 7:38-39 信我的人就如经上所说，从他腹中要流出活水的江河来。” 耶稣这话是指着信他之人要受圣灵说的。那时还没有赐下圣灵来，因为耶稣尚未得着荣耀。
我们心里有一条河。耶稣说我们的心里要流出活水的江河。我们要借着敬拜的诗歌与灵里的敬爱让这条河从我们里面汩汩而出。活水必是一条流淌的河流，因为静止的水里不会有生命。我们要顺从圣灵好使这条河流淌。
有活力的赞美是为了帮助我们排除尘世的忧虑而将注意力放在主的大能之上，而敬拜则是以心灵，并在满溢的灵里歌唱。礼拜的敬拜部分是我们的灵就近神的灵的时候—是从内心深处发出的对神的敬拜。这是亲密的，至深的，全身心投入的敬拜。敬拜来自我们的心灵的至深之处，那里是灵人之所在。主期盼我们在灵里敬拜祂。那是至深对至深的呼唤。
我们需要给荣耀留下空间，不能着急。有时候，只是多唱一两遍副歌不足以让我们在荣耀的境界里大喊大叫或欢欣鼓舞。乐手、敬拜领袖以及牧师应该学习在荣耀中流动并调整自己的节奏。当荣耀降临，那就是你与神独处的时候，沉浸在神的同在里吧。
讲章系列：敬拜的文化（第二部分）
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